O 

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99 


. 


THE 


AMERICAN    NATURALIST. 

VOL.  mm.—  FEBRUARY,  1884.—  No.  2. 


AN    ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WAR    CUSTOMS    OF   THE 

OSAGES, 

GIVEN  BY  RED  CORN  (HAPA  OUXSE),  OF  THE  TSIDU  PEACE-MAKING 

GENS,  TO  THE  REV.  J.  OWEN  DORSEY. 
INTRODUCTION. 

IN  order  to  obtain  a  better  understanding  of  the  subject,  it  will 
be  necessary  for  the  writer  to  describe  the  order  in  which  the 
Osages  encamped  in  their  tribal  circle.  When  they  went:  on  their 
buffalo  hunt  in  the  summer  they  always  pitched  their  tents  in  a 
certain  order,  according  to  the  clans  or  gentes  of  which  the  tribe 
was  composed.  In  the  first  diagram  seven  gentes  camp  on  the 
left,  and  fourteen,  considered  as  seven  at  present,  on  the  right. 
Those  on  the  left  are  the  Tsi'ou  or  Chee'-zhoo  gentes,  forming 
the  peace  element  of  the  tribe;  those  on  the  right  are  the  Han'-ka 
and  Wa-oa'oe  (War-shar'-shay)1  gentes,  constituting  the  war  ele 
ment.  The  former  could  not  take  animal  life  of  any  sort,  but 
were  obliged  to  content  themselves  with  vegetable  food,  till  they 
made  an  agreement  with  those  on  the  right  to  supply  them  with 
vegetable  food  in  exchange  for  meat,  which  the  Hafi-ka  and 
Wa-oa-oe  could  obtain. 

The  Tsi-ou  (Chee-zhoo)  gentes  are  as  follows  :  I;  Those  who 
wear  tails  or  locks  of  hair  on  the  head.  2.  Buffalo  bull  face.  3. 
Chee-zhoo  peace-makers  or  red  eagle.  4.  Those  who  carry  the 
sun  on  their  backs,  sun  carriers.  5.  Night  people,  or  the 

1  Wa-oa-oe  or  Wa-zha-zhe,  means  Gsage,  The  exact  pronunciation  cannot  be 
shown  by  ordinary  English  characters.  Hence  the  "c"  =  "sh''  is  inverted  to 
show  a  sound  between  "  sh  "  and  "  zh." 

VOL.  XVIII.—  NO.  II.  8 


X 


114 


account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0  sages.  [February 


youngest  Chee-zhoo.  6.  Buffalo  bull;  and  7.  Thunder  people, 
or  those  who  camp  behind. 

The  gentes  on  the  right  are  now  in  seven  groups,  the  seven 
Wa-zha'-zhe  gentes  having  been  consolidated  into  two  groups, 
and  the  seven  Hafi-ka  gentes  into  five  groups.  Before  this  con 
solidation  was  made,  the  tribe  consisted  of  the  seven  Chee-zhoo 
fire-places  or  gentes  on  the  left,  and  the  seven  Wa-zha-zhe  fire 
places  on  the  right. 

The  following  are  the  groups  on  the  right,  according  to  two 
authorities,  Saucy  chief  and  He-who-never-fails :  8.  Elder 
Osages,  including  six  of  the  Wa-zha-zhe  fire-places.  9.  Hafi-ka 
apart  from  the  rest.  10.  Ponka  .peace-makers  (the  leading  gens 


RIGHT 
HANKA  SIDE 


LEFT 
TSICUSIDE 


FIG.  i. —  Osage  tribal  circle  and  the  tents  of  the  mourners. 

on  this  side,  as  the   Chee-zhoo  peace-makers   are    on   the  left)  ; . 
they  form  a  Wa-zha-zhe  fire-place.    II.  Hafi-ka  having  wings,  an 
eagle  gens.     12.  Black  bear.     13.  Elk.     14.  Kansas,  pipe-light- 


1884.]       An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  O sages.  115 

ers,  or  wind  people.  All  but  Nos.  8  and  10  are  Hafi-ka  fire 
places. 

The  line  drawn  through  the  circle  denotes  the  road  traveled  by 
the  tribe.  This  forms  the  boundary  between  the  two  half-tribes. 

The  following  accounts  of  the  Osage  war  customs  are  necessa 
rily  incomplete,  being  obtained  from  a  member  of  the  principal 
peace  gens.  Moreover,  there  are  customs  peculiar  to  each  gens, 
which  are  not  familiar  to  members  of  other  gentes. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  war  parties  among  the  Osages.  The 
first  is  the  large  war  party,  undertaken  in  the  summer.  The  next 
the  sacred  bag  war  party,  in  which  only  a  few  engage  at  any  sea 
son.  The  third  is  called  "  tsi'-ka-kha',"  undertaken  at  any  time, 
being  an  expedition  after  the  horses  and  other  property  of  the 
enemy. 

L— A  LARGE  WAR  PARTY  (Tu-TAn'-HU  TAN'KA). 
When  a  man  on  the   left  side  of  the  tribal  circle  is  mourning 

o 

for  one, of  his  family,  he  selects  a  man  from  the  right  side  of  the 
tribe  to  mourn  with  him,  and  to  be  the  real  leader  of  the  expeT 
dition.  Let  us  suppose  that  the  first  mourner  is  a  Chee-zhoo 
peace-maker  man.  He  must  present  the  other  man,  whom  we 
will  call  a  Hafika  (in  full,  Hafika-apart-from-the-rest),  with  one 
of  his  best  horses.  Then  the  Chee-zhoo  chooses  a  kettle-bearer 
for  himself,  and  this  kettle-bearer  builds  a  small  lodge  (D,  Fig.  i) 
for  his  friend.  It  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  village,  and  is  made 
of  two  buffalo  robes.  The  door  faces  the  west.  A  similar  lodge 
(E)  is  built  for  the  Hafika  mourner,  by  his  kettle-bearer,  on  the 
right  side  of  the  circle,  and  towards  the  west,  as  in  the  figure. 
Each  mourner  stays  alone  in  his  lodge,  seeing  no  woman. 

As  the  Chee-zhoo  is  a  peace  gens,  it  has  no  war  customs  per 
taining  to  it,  so  the  Chee-zhoo  mourner  has  to  apply  to  a  man  of 
the  first  gens,  Lock-wearerb,  to  act  as  his  teacher.  The  Lock- 
wearers  and  Buffalo-bull -face  people  are  the  soldiers  or  policemen 
of  the  Chee-zhoo  peace-makers..  Should  the  mourner  fail  to  ob 
tain  a  man  of  the  first  gens,  he  must  ask  one  of  the  second  gens, 
Buffalo-bull-face  people,  to  instruct  him.  The  Hanka  mourner 
must  select  his  teacher  from  one  of  the  soldier  gentes  on  his  side, 
Elder  Osages  or  Hafika  apart  from  the  rest. 

Within  four  days  of  the  time  for  departure,  the  mourners 
return  to  the  village  and  begin  their  preparations.  The  Hafika 
mourner  directs  his  teacher  to  select  the  time  and  place  for 


ii6        An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages.  [February, 

the  final  ceremonies.  Whereupon  the  teacher  goes  to  one  of  the 
heralds  (an  Elk  or  Kansas  man),  telling  him  to  proclaim  the  news 
around  the  village. 

All  the  people  who  wish  to  see  the  ceremonies  take  a  sufficient 
number  of  tents  and  remove  to  the  place  outside  the  village, 
pitching  their  tents  in  a  circle.  The  large  tent  of  the  Cheezhoo 
is  put  up  on  the  left,  at  A,  Fig.  2,  and  the  corresponding  tent  of 
the  right  side  is  pitched  at  B.  The  latter  is  the  leading  tent  when 


w 


FIG.  2. — Plan  of  war  tent. 

the  deceased  belongs  to  the  left  side,  and  the  former  is  the  lead 
ing  tent  when  the  deceased  belongs  to  the  right  side  of  the  tribe. 
The  leading  side  and  tent  must  always  be  opposite  to  that  to 
which  the  deceased  belongs.  The  Cheezhoo  peace- maker  men, 
being  of  the  gens  of  the  mourner,  lead  all  the  men  on  their  side 
of  the  tribe,  who  assemble  at  the  tent  A.  So  the  Hanka  men  lead 
all  the  men  on  their  side,  who  meet  at  B. 

Each  mourner  receives  a  war  pipe  and  a  forked  stick  on  which 
he  can  hang  the  bag  in  which  the  pipe  is  kept.  The  pipe  is  an 
old  one  handed  down  from  preceding  generations.  Such  pipes 
are  always  kept  by  those  men  who  have  taken  a  degree  in  the 
secret  order  of  the  tribe.  The  drum  used  on  this  occasion  is 
made  by  a  man  of  the  Sun-carrier  gens.  Two  battle  standards 
are  made  for  each  mourner  by  an-  old  man  of  the  Elder  Osage 
gens  (Fig.  3).  One  on  each  side  has  seven  feathers,  and  is  reck 
oned  as  the  superior  one ;  and  the  other  has  six.  The  bottom  of 
each  standard  terminates  in  a  sharp  point,  which  is  used  as  a 
spear.  When  the  two  teachers  ask  the  Elder  Osage  man  to 
make  the  standards,  they  hand  him  a  new  knife,  some  paint,  and 
all  other  materials  required  for  them.  When  he  finishes  them 
the  knife  and  the  remaining  materials  belong  to  him.  At  the 


1884.]       An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages. 


117 


same  time  the  teachers  give  him  some  calico  to  pay  him  for  his 
trouble.  When  the  standards  are  completed,  the  old  man  says  : 
"  O  Hafika  and  Cheezhoo,  as  you  have  paid  me,  take  the  stand 
ards  quickly  !"  The  Cheezhoo  teacher  takes  his  in  his  left  hand, 


FIG.  3.— Battle  standards. 

and  the  Hafika  extends  the  right  hand  for  his  standards.  Then 
they  lay  down  the  standards  before  them. 

Then  the  general  war  tent  of  the  tribe  (Figs.  2  and  4)  is  erected 
at  C,  facing  the  west,  the  place  of  honor  being  at  the  rear,  towards 
the  east. 

All  the  principal  men  of  each  side,  including  the  head  men  of 
the  gentes,  who  are  a  sort  of  priests,  meet  in  the  war  tent,  C. 
There  the  drum  beats.  At  the  rear  of  the  tent  are  seated  the 
principal  old  men,  one  for  each  gens.  The  two  mourners  are 
still  outside.  By  and  by  the  mourners  are  brought  into  the  tent, 
in  which  there  is  no  fire.  The  two  bags  containing  the  war  pipes 
are  hung  on  their  necks. 

For  this  occasion  two  war  bags  are  made  of  the  feathers  and 
skins  of  war  eagles  by  some  of  the  old  men.  These  bags  are 
now  brought  into  the  tent  by  the  teachers,  who  present  them  to 
the  mourners.  The  old  men  who  made  the  bags  now  choose  two 
or  three  men  for  each  mourner,  to  act  as  Wa-sha'-pe  wa'-shu- 


u8         An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  Osages.  [February, 

wa'-kdhe,  whom  we  may  style  lieutenants  (though  that  is  hardly 
the  translation).  These  men  drop  their  blankets  and  wear  noth 
ing  but  their  breech-cloths  as  they  stand  in  a  row  with  their 
mourners.  The  old  men  who  made  the  bags  select  a  herald  for 
each  mourner  out  of  any  gens.  These  stand  next  to  the  lieuten 
ants.  Each  lieutenant  and  herald  receives  a  war  pipe.  The 
Cheezhoo  herald  receives  in  his  left  hand  a  knife  with  the  han 
dle  painted  red.  The  Hafika  herald  receives  in  his  right  hand  a 
hatchet  with  the  handle  reddened. 

Then  the  Hafika  mourner  (B)  is  brought  to  the  front,  and  is 
told  to  select  the  best  men  on  the  Cheezhoo  side  for  standard 
bearers.  He  chooses  one  (A),  leading  him  to  the  front,  the  latter 
crying  as  he  goes.  To  the  latter  is  handed  a  standard  with  seven 
feathers  by  Cheezhoo's  teacher.  It  is  received  in  the  left  hand 
and  the  man  performs  a  war  dance  according  to  his  own  desire  or 
custom,  and  then  he  takes  his  seat  Then  the  Cheezhoo  mourner 
is  called  to  the  front,  being  told  to  select  the  best  man  from  the 
Hafika  side  for  standard-bearers.  The  first  that  he  chooses  (/)  is 
taken  to  the  front,  crying  as  he  goes.  Hafika's  teacher  hands 
him  the  other  standard  with  seven  feathers,  which  is  received  in 
the  right  hand.  He  dances,  and  sits  down.  Hafika's  mourner 
selects  a  man  from  the  opposite  side  (F)  to  carry  the  standard 
with  six  feathers ;  and  Cheezhoo's  mourner  chooses  a  Hafika 
man  (K)  for  a  similar  office.  When  the  Hafika  mourner  selects 
the  third  man  on  the  Cheezhoo  side  (G),  the  latter  takes  the  stand 
ard  from  E,  dances,  and  returns  it  to  its  holder.  So  when  the 
Cheezhoo  mourner  selects  the  third  man  on  the  Hafika  side  (L\ 
the  latter  takes  the  standard  from  /,  dances,  and  returns  it.  The 
fourth  standard-bearer  on  the  Cheezhoo  side  (H]  takes  the  stand 
ard  from  Ft  dances,  and  returns  it.  And  the  fourth  man  on  the 
Hafika  side  (M)  takes  the  standard  from  K,  to  whom  he  returns 
it  after  dancing. 

Then  the  lieutenants  are  painted  with  charcoal.  Before  this  is 
done,  the  Black  bear  people  make  a  fire  outside  the  war  tent, 
placing  on  it  a  quantity  of  small  willows  which  will  soon  burn. 
When  these  are  charred,  they  are  broken  in  small  pieces  and 
placed  in  pans,  with  a  little  water  in  each.  Each  lieutenant  on 
the  Cheezhoo  side  dips  his  hands  into  a  pan,  rubs  them  together, 
and  then  with  his  left  palm  he  rubs  his  face,  beginning  at  the 
right  ear,  and  going  down  the  cheek,  across  the  mouth  and  left 


1884.]       An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages. 


119 


I2O        An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages.  [February, 

cheek  to  the  ear.  Next  he  rubs  his  right  palm  across  his  left 
shoulder,  bringing  the  mark  a  little  to  the  front.  Rubbing  more 
charcoal  on  his  hands,  he  places  his  left  palm  on  his  right  shoul 
der,  bringing  the  mark  slightly  to  the  front.  With  his  right  palm 
he  makes  a  round  mark  on  the  chest,  over  the  depression  be 
tween  the  two  parts  of  the  sternum. 

The  lieutenants  on  the  Hanka  side  proceed  in  a  similar  man 
ner,  but  in  reverse  order,  beginning  with  the  right  hand  and  end 
ing  with  the  left  in  making  the  round  mark  over  the  breast  bone. 

These  men  are  now  enlisted,  and  cannot  sit  down  till  night 
comes  and  the  other  warriors  have  lain  down.  The  lieutenants, 
heralds,  and  standard-bearers  can  neither  eat  nor  drink  till  they 
receive  permission. 

After  the  lieutenants  finish  painting,  the  two  heralds  are  or 
dered  to  arise,  one  standing  on  the  Cheezhoo  mourner's  left,  the 
other  on  the  Hanka  mourner's  right.  They  are  sent  from  the 
tent,  being  ordered  to  go  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  village, 
and  then  run  around  it.  They  start  from  the  west,  Cheezhoo's 
herald  going  towards  the  north,  and  the  other  man  running  to 
the  south.  When  the  Cheezhoo  man  gets  due  north,  and  the 
Hanka  is  opposite  him,  the  farmer  cries  to  the  latter :  "  O  Hanka, 
he  says  that  you  will  cause  the  spirits  of  the  animals  to  pass 
along  !  He  says  that  you  must  cause  the  spirits  of  the  animals 
to  pass  along  at  sunset!  "  To  this  the  Hanka  man  replies,  "  O 
Cheezhoo,  he  says  that  you  rnust  cause  the  spirits  of  the  animals 
to  pass  along  !  He  says  that  you  must  cause  the  spirits  of  the  ani 
mals  to  pass  along  at  sunset !"  Just  before  they  reach  the  east,  they 
cry  again,  Cheezhoo  speaking  first.  When  they  pass  the  east  the 
Cheezhoo  man  goes  outside  of  the  other's  course,  keeping  to  the 
left  of  the  latter.  When  the  Cheezhoo  reaches  the  south,  and 
the  Hanka  is  at  the  north,  they  cry  again  ;  and  so  when  they  re 
turn  to  the  west.  Then  the  large  war  tent  (C)  is  taken  down. 

The  Hanka  mourner  tells  the  Cheezhoo  mourner  and  standard- 
bearers  to  collect  their  warriors,  while  he  and  his  standard-bear 
ers  do  likewise  on  the  Hanka  side.  All  the  Cheezhoo  men  of  the 
seven  gentes  have  to  prepare  for  the  four  days'  dances.  They 
also  have  to  furnish  a  drum.  They  meet  in  their  large  tent  (A) 
at  the  back  of  which  are  seated  the  four  standard-bearers  (E,  F, 
G  and  H\  The  man  who  has  the  standard  with  seven  feathers 
(E)  is  the  principal  one,  so  he  sits  on  the  left  of  the  one  with  six 


1884.]       An  account  of  the  War  Ciistoms  of  the  0 sages.  121 

feathers  (F).  The  standards  are  held  with  the  feathers  facing  the 
west.  The  rest  of  the  men  sit  around  the  tent.  Then  E  selects 
all  the  young  men  who  are  to  sit  with  the  party  as  warriors,  and 
the  adult  kettle-bearers,  who  prepare  food  for  them.  Of  these 
latter  there  are  from  ten  to  twenty,  no  fixed  number,  and  they 
have  a  separate  camp.  Next  E  selects  about  six  youths  who  are 
fast  runners,  to  act  as  kettle-bearers  who  give  water  to  the  war 
riors.  The  man  who  cooked  for  the  mourner  at  the  first,  and 
made  the  small  lodge  for  him,  is  the  leader  of  the  kettle-bearers 
on  his  side. 

A  man  of  the  Sun-carrier  gens  is  requested  to  make  the  drum 
for  the  party.  He  is  furnished  with  the  requisite  implements,  and 
gets  a  piece  of  calico  as  his  pay.  In  the  meantime  the  Hafika 
standard-bearers  are  doing  similar  things,  but  in  a  different  order. 
In  the  Hafika  tent  (Z?)  the  man  with  the  seven  feather  standard 
(/)  sits  on  the  right  of  the  other,  who  has  that  with  six  feathers 
(K).  No.  3  (L)  is  on  the  right  of  /,  and  No.  4  (M)  is  on  the  left  of 
K.  The  adult  kettle-bearers  and  the  kettle-bearers  who  give 
water  are  chosen  by  the  holder  of  the  principal  standard  (7).  A 
Sun-carrier  man  is  hired  to  make  the  drum. 

Then  follows  a  dance  around  the  village,  while  the  two  Sun- 
carrier  men  are  making  the  drums.  Prior  to  this  dance  the  men 
of  each  party  try  to  get  ready  and  rise  to  their  feet  before  the 
others.  The  mourners,  lieutenants  and  heralds  keep  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  singers  and  dancers.  At  each  tent  (A  and  B)  a 
standard  is  raised.  In  modern  times  this  is  the  U.  S.  flag. 

The  principal  kettle-bearer  on  each  side  carries  one  of  the  flags, 
and  he  is  followed  by  the  rest,  including  the  kettle-bearers  or  ser 
vants  of  both  kinds.  (See  Fig.  5.)  After  the  two  parties  pass 
each  other,  they  walk  in  silence  for  about  fifty  yards,  when  the 
drums  are  sounded  for  another  dance.  (These  drums  are  prob 
ably  those  which  were  used  at  the  war  tent  C,  as  the  new  drums 
are  not  yet  finished.)  The  dance  is  accompanied  by  a  war  song. 
Then  they  go  silently  as  before ;  and  so  on  till  they  arrive  at  the 
rear  of  the  village.  They  sing  and  dance  as  they  pass  each  other 
the  second  time;  and  so  on  till  they  return  to  the  tents  at  the  west. 
Then  they  have  a  dance,  in  which  they  tell  what  they  expect  to  do 
when  they  meet  the  enemy.  This  must  not  be  confounded  with 
the  bravery  dance,  which  takes  place  afterward,  according  to  Red 
Corn. 


122         An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  Osages.  [February, 

After  this  each  mourner  or  war  captain  gives  to  his  principal 
kettle-bearer  a  horse,  which  the  servant  sells  to  the  man  who  will 
give  the  most  food  for  it.  The  food  is  brought  in  and  cooked  by 
the  adult  kettle-bearers.  The  women  are  invited  to  a  feast,  but 
the  men  eat  none  of  the  food.  Each  woman  brings  a  bowl  of 
flour,  coffee,  etc.  The  kettle-bearers  run  to  meet  them,  take  the 
food  and  place  it  in  a  heap.  At  the  end  of  the  feast  the  empty 
bowls  are  handed  to  their  owners.  The  food  brought  by  the 
women  is  cooked  and  the  men  have  their  feast.  Should  the  sup 
ply  be  insufficient  another  horse  is  sold  for  food,  the  women  are 
invited  to  another  feast,  and  they  give  more  food  in  return  for  the 


FIG.  5. — Dance  around  the  Village. 

men  to  eat.     The  dance  is  continued  through  the  day,  till  about 
half  an  hour  before  sunset. 

Then  they  dance  the  U-dhur-ta  wa-tsin/  or  circle  dance,  in  which 
the  Cheezhoo  men  dance  from  the  west  to  the  north,  thence  to 
the  east  and  south,  and  round  to  the  west  again.  The  men  on 
the  other  side  go  in  the  opposite  direction.  In  this  dance  the 
first  standard-bearer  on  the  Hanka  side  tells  one  of  his  exploits 
in  a  song,  as  he  dances.  He  is  followed  by  the  leading  Chee 
zhoo  standard-bearer.  The  principal  Hanka  standard-bearer  sings 
and  dances  again,  and  is  followed,  as  before,  by  the  first  Chee 
zhoo  standard-bearer.  So  the  two  sing  and  dance  in  turn  till 
they  have  sung  about  twelve  songs.  A  whoop  is  made  and  the 
men  march  a  short  distance  to  perform  the  dance  called  the  bra- 


1884.]      An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages. 


p 


w 

/ 


p 

KETTLE 
BEARERS 

£. 

0 

WARRIORS 


very  dance.  They  meet  in  front  of  the  large  Hafika  tent  (B),  and 
the  flag  is  hoisted  (Fig.  6).  All  sit  out  of  doors,  forming  a  figure  like 
a  capital  U,  at  the  base  of  which 
are  the  standard-bearers.  Next 
to  them  sit  the  warriors,  and  the 
kettle-bearers  sit  at  the  ends. 
The  leading  Hafika  standard 
bearer  (/)  arises,  sings  and  dances 
a  little  to  the  west,  and  then  back 
to  his  place,  when  he  resumes  his 
seat.  He  is  followed  by  the  first 
Cheezhoo  standard-bearer  (£), 
after  whom  dances  the  second 
Hafika  standard-bearer  (^T),  who 
is  succeeded  by  the  Cheezhoo  of 
the  same  rank  (F).  Next  come 
the  third  Hafika  and  Cheezhoo 
men  (L  and  G),  then  the  fourth 
pair  (Mand  H).  Then  the  warri 
ors  dance  in  like  manner.  When 
they  have  finished  the  kettle-  FIG.  6.— Bravery  dance, 

bearers  may  dance  if  they  desire. 

This  ends  the  dances  for  the  first  day.  Then  the  heralds  make 
another  circuit  of  the  village,  starting  from  their  respective  tents, 
A  and  B.  After  this  the  war  captains,  warriors  and  servants  sit 
and  rest,  smoking  and  talking  till  it  is  time  to  sleep.  The  princi 
pal  standard-bearer  on  each  side  (E,  /)  calls  his  war  captain,  tell 
ing  him  that  on  the  morrow,  just  at  daybreak,  they  must  make 
the  mysterious  charcoal.  Then  the  Hafika  standard-bearer,  /, 
tells  his  captain  to  inform  the  men  that  they  can  lie  down.  So 
one  of  the  Hafika  lieutenants  cries  over  to  those  in  the  other 
camp:  "  Halloo,  lieutenants  !"  One  of  the  Cheezhoo  lieutenants 
replies,  "  What  is  it  ?"  The  Hafika  man  says,  "  Ho  !  ye  adult  ket 
tle-bearers,  ye  young  kettle-bearers  and  ye  standard-bearers  !  it  is 
said  that  you  shall  sleep !"  The  Cheezhoo  replies,  "  O,  grand 
father,  it  is  well !"  Then  he  addresses  the  men  on  his  own  side, 
but  in  a  loud  voice,  so  that  those  on  the  other  side  may  hear,  too: 
"Ho,  O  comrades,  standard-bearers!  Ho,  O  comrades,  ye  adult 
kettle-bearers!  Ho,  O  comrades,  ye  young  kettle-bearers!  it  is 
said  that  ye  shall  sleep  !"  Then  the  Hafika  lieutenant  calls  again, 
"  Ho,  O  lieutenant!"  The  Cheezhoo  says,  "  What  is  the  matter?" 


124         An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages.  [February, 

The  Hafika  says,  "  O  war  captains  and  ye  lieutenants  !  it  is  said, 
O  comrades,  that  you  shall  sleep  !"  The  Cheezhoo  replies,  "  It 
is  well,  O  grandfather!"  Then  he  addresses  the  mourners  and 
lieutenants  on  both  sides,  "  Ho,  O  comrades,  ye  war  captains  !  Ho, 
O  comrades,  ye  lieutenants !  it  is  said  that  ye  shall  sleep  !"  Then 
the  Hafika  cries  again,  "  Ho,  O  lieutenant!"  The  Cheezhoo  says, 
"  O  my  grandchild !  to-morrow  you  shall  cause  them,  it  is  said, 
to  attend  to  their  duties."  The  Cheezhoo  replies,  "  O  grand 
father,  it  is  well !"  Then  he  says  to  all,  "  O  comrades,  to-mor 
row  I  will  cause  you  to  attend  to  your  duties !"  This  ends  the 
ceremonies  and  proclamations  for  the  night. 

On  the  second  day  the  Cheezhoo  men  precede  the  Hanka  men 
in  every  rite,  one  of  their  number  being  the  master  of  ceremo 
nies  for  the  day.  On  the  previous  evening  members  of  the  Dhu'- 
khe  sub-gens  of  the  Buffalo-bull  gens  brought  in  bunches  of  dried 
willow,  which  were  laid  out  of  sight  by  some  of  the  men  on  the 
Hafika  side.  Before  daylight,  on  the  second  day,  all  the  men 
arise,  and  the  men  of  the  Night  gens  (who  are  a  sort  of  bear  peo 
ple)  set  the  willows  afire;  while  the  fire  burns,  long  prayers  are 
made  by  the  men  of  the  Night  and  Elder  Osage  gentes.  At  the 
end  of  a  song  they  see  who  can  get  some  of  the  fire.  In  the 
struggle  which  ensues  the  pieces  of  willow  are  crushed  to  pieces. 
This  act  has  a  special  name.  What  charcoal  each  one  gets  is 
saved  till  the  return  to  camp.  The  charcoal  symbolizes  the  ene 
my.  On  their  return  to  camp  each  warrior  goes  to  his  place  and 
mixes  the  sacred  charcoal  with  ordinary  charcoal,  after  which  he 
paints  himself.  Those  who  desire  go  and  sing  around  the  village. 
After  breakfast  they  dance  around  the  village  all  the  morning,  as 
on  the  first  day.  Then  they  have  another  feast  at  about  noon. 
They  dance  the  circle  and  bravery  dances,  as  on  the  preced 
ing  day.  At  night,  just  before  retiring,  one  of  the  Cheezhoo 
lieutenants  calls  to  those  on  the  other  side.  A  Hafika  lieutenant 
replies,  "O  rny  grandchild!  what  is  the  matter?"  Then  the 
Cheezhoo  says  what  the  Hafika  did  on  the  previous  night,  and 
the  Hafika  speaks  the  words  used  on  that  occasion  by  the  Chee 
zhoo. 

On  the  third  day  the  Hafika  men  precede  the  Cheezhoo  men 
in  every  rite,  as  they  did  on  the  first  day,  and  one  of  their  num 
ber  acts  as  the  officer  of  the  day.  The  sacred  bags  of  a  large 
war  party  are  brought  in,  one  by  a  Wa-zha-zhe  or  Osage  man  for 


1884.]       An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0  sages.  125 

the  Hafika  side,  and  one  by  a  member  of  the  Lock-wearer  gens 
for  the  Cheezhoo  mourner. 

They  dance  as  on  the  preceding  days.  The  Hanka  mourner 
tells  the  Cheezhoo  that  on  the  morrow  they  will  take  the  first  step. 

On  the  fourth  day  the  Cheezhoo  men  lead  in  every  rite,  as 
they  did  on  the  second  day.  Two  narrow  strips  of  buffalo  hide 
are  prepared  by  an  old  woman  of  a  Buffalo  gens  on  the  Hanka 
side  of  the  circle.  These  strips  are  placed  side  by  side  on  the 
ground,  and  about  two  feet  apart.  The  Cheezhoo  men  place 
their  left  feet  on  the  rear  one,  and  their  right  feet  on  the  front  one. 
The  Hanka  men  have  their  right  feet  on  the  rear  one  and  advance 
with  their  left  feet  on  the  front  one.  This  is  the  first  step  taken 
on  the  war  path.  •ANdtorr  LIBRA*? 

The  warriors  now  mount  1;heir  horses,  forming  in  two  columns, 
in  each  of  which  they  go  two  abreast.  The  standard-bearers  ride 
in  advance.  The  Cheezhoo  column  goes  once  around  the  vil 
lage,  in  the  usual  course  from  the  west  to  the  north,  thence  by 
the  east  and  south  to  the  west  again.  The  Hanka  column  pro 
ceeds  in  the  opposite  direction.  They  approach  one  another 
again  at  the  west,  and  depart  westward  in  parallel  columns  (Fig. 
7).  Their  course  on  the  war  path  is  ^.  o>  (\  £\ 

supposed   to   be   towards    the   west.    |^      ^j  \F6      ^j 

When  they  have  gone  a  certain  dis 
tance  from  the  village  a  member  of  ' 

the  Dhu-khe  sub-gens  of  the  Buffalo  *          *  *          *    W 

bull  gens  is  taken  to  the  front,  where  *          *  * 

he  performs  a  rite.     At  its  conclusion  ^          ^  ^ 

the  march  is  resumed,  and  they  con 
tinue  on  their  journey  for  about  four 
days,  at  the  end  of  which  period  a  *  *  ». 

small  tent  is  erected  for  each  captain 
or  mourner,  the  door  facing  the  west. 
Each  eagle  is  removed  from  the  sa-  •  *  «  . 

cred  bag  and  placed  on  top  of  the 
small  tent  (on  its  proper  side),  facing  ' 
the  west.  Each  captain  goes  through   ,          *  , 

his  tent  from  east  to  west,  knocking 

down  the  tent,  and  causing  the  eagle   *FIG>  7*_Order  ofmarch 
to  fall  to  the  ground.  The  eagle  is  re-  ******* 
stored  to  its  bag.     Then  all  the  warriors   except  the  captains, 


126         An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  Osages.  [February, 

lieutenants  and  heralds  can  swim  and  wash  their  faces.  They 
resume  their  march,  and  by  and  by  they  meet  a  foe  whom  they 
attack.  Let  us  suppose  that  they  kill  him.  The  first  man  who 
strikes  him  gets  the  first  honor,  and  the  second  honor  is  given  to 
the  next  who  gives  a  blow.  The  scalp  is  handed  to  the  Hafika 
captain,  who  gives  it  to  the  Cheezhoo  captain,  saying,  "  Here  is 
that  for  which  you  employed  me."  The  corpse  is  laid  with  the 
head  to  the  east.  The  Hafika  captain  makes  a  hole  on  the  right 
side  of  the  chest  into  which  is  thrust  the  standard  with  seven 
feathers  of  the  Haiika  men,  the  feathers  pointing  to  the  west. 
The  Cheezhoo  makes  a  hole  on  the  left  side  of  the  corpse  into 
which  is  stuck  the  principal  Cheezhoo  standard.  The  second 
Hanka  standard-bearer  places  his  standard,  with  six  feathers,  be 
tween  the  right  arm  and  the  chest;  and  the  second  Cheezhoo 
standard-bearer  puts  his  between  the  left  arm  and  the  side. 

Should  they  lose  one  of  their  own  men  at  this  place,  they  set 
up  the  body  against  a  tree  or  bank,  using  most  of  their  paint  in 
painting  him  all  over.  They  break  four  arrows  which  they  lay 
by  him,  and  they  leave  some  paint  there.  After  mourning  over 
their  own  dead,  they  will  mourn  for  the  foe  just  as  if  he  was  a 
friend.  At  certain  intervals  (answering  to  every  two  or  three 
hours,  as  we  reckon  time),  the  standard-bearers  tell  the  captains 
to  command  the  warriors  to  mourn.  Before  they  reach  home  all 
the  trophies,  including  the  scalps,  are  placed  on  a  pole,  at  which 
they  charge,  firing  four  times  at  it.1 

When  they  have  lost  one  of  their  party  they  neither  eat  nor 
drink  till  they  have  poured  out  food  and  water  for  the  dead. 
When  they  come  to  a  post  oak  they  strip  it  of  the  bark  for  about 
five  feet  from  the  ground ;  they  paint  the  tree  red,  break  four 
arrows  and  leave  them  by  the  tree  with  some  paint. 

When  they  approach  the  village,  they  cannot  enter  it  if  they 
have  lost  any  of  their  party  ;  but  they  must  stop,  in  that  case, 
about  one  or  two  hundred  yards  from  it.  The  principal  man  of 

1  A  similar  custom  is  practiced  by  the  Dakotas  when  they  cut  down  the  pole  for 
the  sun  dance ;  and  the  Omahas  and  Ponkas  charged  on  the  tree  ere  they  cut  it  down 
for  their  sacred  pole,  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago.  The  Omahas  said  that 
their  pole,  on  that  occasion,  represented  an  enemy,  and  a  scalp  was  put  on  its  head 
in  accordance  with  that  notion.  A  race  for  a  tree  also  occurs  when  the  Omaha 
young  men  go  to  cut  down  one  for  the  dance  after  the  thanksgiving  for  success  in 
the  buffalo  hunt.  Further  investigation  of  this  custom  may  reveal  other  interesting 
facts. 


I884-J       An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages.  127 

the  Kansas  gens  knows  what  is  meant.  He  puts  on  a  robe  made 
of  bear  or  buffalo  skin,  and  advances  toward  the  party,  with  his 
kettle-bearer,  till  he  can  hear  what  they  say.  He  begins  the  con 
versation  by  asking  them  what  is  the  cause  of  their  halt.  Then 
he  tell  them  the  news  from  the  village.  After  this  he  approaches 
the  warriors,  going  around  them,  and  performing  a  rite,  first  at  the 
north,  then  at  the  west,  south  and  east.  Next  he  addresses  the 
Hanka  captain,  then  the  Cheezhoo  captain,  telling  whether  they 
can  enter  the  village. 

Having  gained  his  consent,  they  leave  all  their  blankets  and 
other  clothing,  as  the  pay  of  the  old  man  and  his  servant.  But 
they  retain  their  weapons.  They  are  met  by  some  of  the  people, 
who  give  them  other  garments.  Then  the  warriors  separate. 
The  tents  A  and  B  are  thrown  down,  and  the  war  tent,  C,  is  set 
up  again  at  the  west. 

The  final  ceremonies  are  the  scalp  dance,  captive  dance  (P),1 
dance  in  which  they  take  the  standards,  and  the  trial  over  the 
sacred  bags.  One  of  the  captains  may  select  any  one  of  the  three 
dances  to  the  exclusion  of  the  others,  or  he  may  have  two  without 
the  standard  dance ;  but  the  trial  over  the  sacred  bag  is  never 
omitted. 

The  scalp  dance. — Previous  to  this  dance,  the  captain  of  one  side 
gives  a  horse  to  his  principal  kettle-bearer,  who  sells  it  for  the 
food  needed  at  the  feast  which  precedes  the  dance.  The  stand 
ard-bearers  dressed  in  their  finest  attire,  notify  all  the  women  in 
the  village :  "  We  wish  you  to  come  and  dance  this  afternoon." 
Then  the  two  captains  go  around  the  village,  saying,  "  Ho,  my 
little  sisters  !  my  comrades !  it  is  said  you  must  pity  me !"  Each 
captain  walks  around  the  village  according  to  the  side  of  the  cir 
cle  in  which  he  camps,  and  each  woman  in  dancing  remembers  this 
rule. 

After  the  women  have  been  called  by  the  captains,  the  former 
strip  to  the  waist,  covering  their  bosoms  with  pieces  of  cloth  or 
calico.  They  pretend  to  be  men,  decorating  themselves  with 
feathers,  paint,  etc.  They  are  led  by  one  who  carries  the  scalp 
on  its  pole.  She  is  chosen  for  that  purpose  by  one  of  the  captains. 
Some  women  carry  bows,  others  take  arrows,  some  have  war 
pipes,  and  some  carry  peace  pipes.  The  drummers  sit  in  a  small 
circle  around  the  pole.  A  great  warrior  arises  and  tells  of  his  ex- 

1Takdhe  watsi",  in  Osage.     Its  translation  is  doubtful. 


128         An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0  sages.  [February, 

ploits.  Then  the  drum  beats,  and  the  women  dance.  All  start 
together,  the  women  of  the  Cheezhoo  gentes  moving  in  one  direc 
tion,  and  those  of  the  Hafika  gentes  in  the  other,  around  the  pole. 
The  successful  warriors  who  are  mounted,  come  in  their  war 
dress,  and  gallop  around  the  pole,  close  to  the  women,  telling  of 
their  deeds.  This  dance  is  continued  for  about  half  an  hour. 
The  trial  or  ordeal  of  the  sacred  bags  must  follow  on  the  next 
day,  unless  a  captain  wishes  to  have  the  captive  dance,  in  which 
event  it  follows. 

The  captive  dance. — A  war  captain  gives  another  horse  to  his 
chief  kettle-bearer,  who  sells  it  for  the  food  required  for  feasting 
the  guests  before  the  dance.  The  standard-bearers  and  captains 
go  around  the  village,  as  on  the  preceding  day,  and  the  women 
come,  as  before.  The  drummers  sit  around  the  pole.  The  dancers 
are  led  by  two  men  abreast.  These  used  to  be  men  that  had  gone 
to  war  afoot.  They  are  followed  by  two  women,  then  two  men, 
then  two  women  ;  and  so  on.  Those  who  went  to  war  mounted 
come  to  the  dance  on  their  horses.  One  of  the  principal  men 
tells  his  story  first ;  and  the  horsemen  tell  their  deeds  as  they 
gallop  around  the  dancers.  The  dance  lasts  for  about  half  an 
hour.  But  if  the  captain  prefers,  he  may  substitute  the  standard 
dance  for  the  captive  dance.  But  if  the  latter  is  chosen  for  the 
second  day,  and  the  captain  wishes  to  gain  more  honor,  he  gives 
another  horse  to  his  chief  kettle-bearer,  to  be  sold  for  food  for  the 
feast  that  is  held  before  the  Standard  dance  on  the  third  day. 

The  Standard  dance. — The  standards  are  made  like  those  used 
at  the  beginning  of  the  expedition,  and  they  are  given  to  the 
standard-bearers,  who  dance  around  the  village,  two  abreast,  all 
going  in  the  same  direction,  followed  by  the  other  warriors. 
Having  gone  around  the  village,  they  assemble  at  a  short  dis 
tance  from  it  and  have  the  circle  dance  and  bravery  dance,  as  at 
the  first.  This  ends  the  dancing  for  that  day. 

The  Trial  over  the  sacred  bags. — The  old  men  assemble  in  the  war 
tent,  C.  The  sacred  bags  are  brought  in  to  test  the  warriors,  who 
are  watched  very  closely  by  the  old  men.  All  the  old  men  who 
have  been  distinguished  in  war  are  painted  with  the  decorations  of 
their  respective  gentes.  That  of  the  Cheezhoo  peace- maker  gens 
is  as  follows  :  The  face  is  first  whitened  all  over  with  clay  ;  then 
a  red  spot  is  made  on  the  forehead,  and  the  lower  part  of  the  face 
is  reddened.  With  his  fingers,  the  man  scrapes  off  the  white  clay> 


1884.]       An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages. 


129 


forming  the  dark  figures  by  letting  the  natural  color  of  the'face 
show  through.  (See  Fig.  8.) 

Each  warrior  has  four  sticks  about  six  inches  long,  to  be  laid 
in  succession  on  the  sacred  bag.  The  warriors  are  taken  in  the 
following  order :  First,  the  captains,  next  the  lieutenants  ;  then  the 
heralds ;  after  whom  is  the  man  who  struck  the  first  blow ;  then 
he  who  hit  the  second  blow ;  and  so  on. 

As  each  captain  lays  his  first  stick  on  the  bag,  he  says,  "  Ho, 
O  grandfather !  I  lay  this  down  on  you  because  I  am  one  who 
has  killed  a  man."  On  laying  down  the  second,  he  says,  "  Ho, 


FIG.  8. — Decoration  of  the  Tsicu  Wactake  or  Cheezhoo  peace-maker  gens. 

O  grandfather  !  I  wish  to  be  fortunate  in  stealing  horses!  I  also 
wish  our  children  to  be  as  fortunate  as  we  !"  When  he  puts  down 
the  third,  he  says,  "  Ho,  O  grandfather !  I  wish  to  raise  a  domes 
tic  animal.  I  wish  to  succeed  in  bringing  it  to  maturity."  By 
this  he  means  a  son.  The  prayer  when  the  last  stick  is  laid  down 
is  as  follows :  "  Ho,  O  grandfather  !  May  we  continue  a  people 
without  sustaining  any  injuries  !" 

Similar  petitions  are  made  by  the  lieutenants  and  heralds.  He 
who  gave  the  first  blow  says,  as  he  lays  down  the  first  stick,  "  Ho, 
O  grandfather  !  I  lay  down  this  on  you  as  one  who  has  caused 
another  to  stun  a  foe  !"  The  rest  of  his  petitions  are  those  of  the 


VOL.   XVIII. — NO.  II. 


130         An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages.  [February, 

captains  and  other  men.  He  who  struck  the  second  blow,  says 
as  follows,  on  laying  down  his  first  stick :  "  Ho,  O  grandfather  ! 
I  place  this  on  you  because  I  was  the  next  one  to  strike  and  stun 
a  man!"  The  other  petitions  follow,  as  given  above.  The  first 
petition  of  each  of  the  remaining  warriors  is  as  follows :  "  Ho,  O 
grandfather!  I  lay  this  on  you  as  a  token  that  I  have  aided  in 
overcoming  the  foe  !  (A  provisional  translation,  as  the  writer  is 
uncertain  as  to  the  exact  rendering  of  "  wa-yii-khpe,"  which,  judg 
ing  from  the  meaning  of  the  root  khpa  and  khpe  in  cognate  lan 
guages,  implies  pulling  down  a  foe.) 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  trial,  the  warriors  rub  the  paint  off, 
and  wash  their  faces,  thus  ending  the  war  party. 

II.  SACRED  BAG  WAR  PARTY. 

A  man  mourns  alone,  putting  mud  on  his  face.  He  comes  into 
the  village,  and  selects  a  man  for  his  first  kettle-bearer,  who  builds 
for  him  a  small  lodge  apart  from  the  village.  The  mourner  re 
tires  to  this  lodge,  and  keeps  away  from  the  women.  He  sends 
his  servant,  the  kettle-bearer,  for  two  men,  one  on  the  Hafika  side 
of  the  tribe,  the  other  on  the  Cheezhoo  side,  to  act  as  standard- 
bearers.  When  they  come  to  him,  he  informs  them  whither  he 
wishes  to  go,  and  for  what  purpose.  The  three  depart  to  invite 
the  warriors.  Those  who  are  willing  can  join  the  party.  The 
mourner  has  a  pipe  and  tobacco,  also  a  sacred  bag  made  of  the 
skin  and  feathers  of  a  bird,  given  him  by  his  teacher,  one  of  the 
old  men  belonging  to  the  secret  order. 

The  servant  cleans  out  the  pipe  bowl,  which  is  filled  by  the 
mourner.  The  latter  hands  the  pipe  around  the  circle  of  guests, 
beginning  with  two  standard-bearers.  Last  of  all  the  mourner 
smokes.  As  he  hands  the  pipe  to  each  man,  he  says.  "  Grand 
father,  I  ask  an  animal  of  you."  The  reply  is,  "  Captain,  you  shall 
have  your  desire." 

All  march  a  short  distance  from  the  village.  A  small  fire  is 
made.  The  teacher  performs  a  ceremony  over  the  mourner, 
and  then  makes  him  take  the  first  step  on  the  war  path,  as  has 
been  shown  in  the  account  of  a  large  war  party.  Then  the  old 
teacher  departs  to  the  village.  The  warriors  march  on.  When  they 
meet  a  foe,  he  who  strikes  him  has  the  first  honor,  the  second 
who  hits  him,  cuts  off  his  head.  The  honor  of  killing  him  be 
longs  to  the  captain  or  mourner,  whether  he  is  the  actual  slayer 


1884.]       An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  0 sages.  131 

or  not ;  and  the  whole  scalp  is  his.  \Vhen  they  turn  back, 
they  hasten  homeward.  Before  they  reach  home,  the  scalp  and 
other  trophies  are  fastened  to  a  pole,  charged  on  and  shot  at  four 
times. 

When  the  warriors  get  near  the  village,  they  use  charcoal  for 
painting  their  faces  and  the  scalp.  The  young  kettle-bearers 
make  this  charcoal,  using  willow  if  they  can  find  any.  Then  fol 
low  the  ceremonies  accompanying  the  cutting  off  the  under  skin 
of  the  scalp.  The  captain  stands  facing  the  east,  and  if  he  is  a 
member  of  a  gens  on  the  Cheezhoo  or  left  side  of  the  tribe,  he  holds 
a  knife  in  his  left  hand.  If  he  belongs  to  a  gens  on  the  Hafika 
side,  he  holds  the  knife  in  his  other  hand.  Holding  the  scalp  in 


FIG.  9. — Showing  how  the  scalp  is  prepared  for  the  pole. 

one  hand,  with  the  other  he  places  the  blade  across  it,  with  the 
point  towards  the  south.  (Fig.  9.)  Then  he  turns  it  with  the 
point  toward  the  east.  Next,  with  the  blade  resting  on  the  scalp,  the 
point  to  the  south,  he  moves  the  knife  backward  and  forward  four 
times,  cutting  deeper  into  the  scalp  on  each  occasion.  Then  he 
makes  four  similar  cuts,  but  with  the  point  to  the  east.  After 
this,  the  flat  part  of  the  blade  being  on  the  scalp,  its  edge  is  put 
against  one  of  the  four  corners  made  by  the  previous  incisions 
(i,  2,  3  and  4),  beginning  with  No.  I.  He  cuts  under  each  corner 
four  times,  singing  a  sacred  song  each  time  that  he  changes  the 
position  of  the  knife.  All  of  the  under  skin  is  cut  loose  by  this 
time,  and  is  thrown  away.  The  scalp  is  stretched  and  fastened  to 
a  bow,  which  is  bent  and  formed  into  a  hoop.  This  hoop  is  tied 


132         An  account  of  the  War  Customs  of  the  Osages.  [February, 

to  a  pole  that  is  carried  by  the  principal  kettle-bearer.  (See  Fig.  io.\ 
On  reaching  the  village,  they  charge  around 
it,  shouting  and  giving  the  war  whoop.  Such 
of  the  old  men  as  have  been  warriors  go  out 
to  meet  them,  asking  who  was  the  first  to 
strike  a  blow,  who  cut  off  the  head,  etc.  On 
learning  these  things,  those  old  men  who 
struck  foes  when  they  were  younger,  say  in 
a  loud  voice,  that  all  the  people  may  hear, 
"As  I  struck  a  foe,  such  a  one  (naming  him) 
has  done  so  too !"  Others  say :  "As  I  cut 
off  the  head  of  a  foe,  such  a  one  (naming  him) 
has  done  so  too !"  Then  follows  a  feast, 
after  which  comes  the  dances  which  have 
been  described. 

During  the  trial  of  the  warriors  over  the 
sacred  bag,  the  affirmations  and  petitions  re 
semble  those  used  by  the  members  of  a  large 
war  party,  with  only  one  exception.  The 
man  who  cut  off  the  head  of  a  foe  says,  when 
he  lays  down  his  first  stick,  "  Ho,  O  grand 
father  !  I  lay  this  down  on  you  as  one  who  has  broken  off  a 
head." 

III.  HORSE-STEALING  EXPEDITION. 

This  can  be  undertaken  at  any  season.  There  are  as  many  cap 
tains  as  may  wish  to  join  the  party.  Each  one  of  them  is  a 
mourner  for  dead  kindred,  or  for  stolen  property. 

When  men  wish  to  steal  horses  from  the  enemy,  they  paint  their 
faces  with  charcoal. 

On  such  an  expedition  the  customs  resemble  those  of  the  other 
parties. 

GENERAL  REMARKS,  APPLICABLE  TO  ANY  WAR  PARTY. 

Before  attacking  the  foe,  the  warriors  paint  themselves  anew. 
This  is  the  "  death  paint."  If  any  man  dies  with  this  paint  on 
him,  the  survivors  do  not  put  on  him  any  other  paint. 

All  the  gentes  on  the  Cheezhoo  side  use  "  fire  paint,"  which  is 
red,  applying  it  with  the  left  hand  all  over  the  face.  They 
use  prayers  about  the  fire,  saying,  "  As  the  fire  has  no  mercy, 
so  should  we  have  none."  They  put  mud  on  the  cheek,  be 
low  the  left  eye,  and  as  wide  as  two  or  three  fingers.  On  the 


FIG.    10. — Mode  of 
mounting  a  scalp. 


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